Precious Gift
by Jacen200015
Summary: Thirteen years after ROTS. Anakin is still in the Jedi Order but Padme had died during childbirth and the twins died with her. One day Anakin gets an unexpected surprise in his room. Are they real or a cruel trick?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Anakin woke up to the bright sunlight flooding the room and immediately used the Force to close the blinds and closed his eyes. He heard the sound of the blinds opening and he opened his eyes to glare at them and then at the closed door. "Stop opening the blinds!" Anakin ordered and shut them again with the Force. He attempted to go back to sleep, but then he sat up as something dawned on him. He stretched out with the Force and felt two presences in his quarters. His eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief. It was impossible what he sensed. "Must be the alcohol." Anakin muttered and headed for the refresher to wash up.

After a cold shower Anakin got dressed and left his bedroom to go make breakfast. He stopped a few steps from the kitchen when he smelled something. Anakin frowned and entered the kitchen to find a plate of oatmeal with two slices of toast on the table, along with a glass of juice. He sensed the two presences again and slowly turned around, his hand resting on the hilt of his lightsaber.

"Good morning daddy." Two voices said in unison.

Anakin backed up a few steps and bumped into a chair. Losing his balance as he tried to figure out what was going on, Anakin fell onto the floor unconscious.

"You killed him!" Leia exclaimed, her brown eyes wide.

Luke frowned and cautiously approached Anakin. Kneeling down next to Anakin, Luke placed his hand on Anakin's chest and felt the rise and fall of Anakin's chest. "He's alright. Get me some cold water."

Leia filled a cup with some water and handed it over to Luke.

Luke took the cup and dumped the water onto Anakin's face. "That should do it."

Anakin reflexively wiped the water from his face with his hand and then opened his eyes to see two young faces looking down at him. He scrambled away from them and stood and ran out of his quarters to Obi-Wan's quarters.

After franticly typing in the access code, Anakin ran inside as soon as the door opened and found Obi-Wan and his padawan finishing up breakfast.

Obi-Wan paused what he was telling his padawan and looked up to see Anakin's pale face. "What's wrong Anakin? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Obi-Wan questioned.

"I…" Anakin ran his right hand through his hair and then left the kitchen and went into the living area.

"Padawan, clean the dishes and get to class. We'll finish discussing your training schedule later." Obi-Wan told her and then went after Anakin. He found Anakin sitting on the couch, his face in his hands. Obi-Wan sat down next to him and waited.

"They're dead, I know they are. I held their lifeless bodies. I watched them and Padme be reduced to ashes." Tears streaming from his eyes, Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan. "I saw my children. In my quarters." Swallowing hard, Anakin continued. "They were alive. I could sense their presences in the Force. It's not possible!" Anakin denied vehemently.

Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around Anakin's shaking shoulders as Anakin began sobbing.

Anakin buried his face into Obi-Wan's side, taking comfort in Obi-Wan's soothing presence.

Obi-Wan sent soothing waves of the Force to his brother and then sent a Force suggestion to make him sleep. As soon as Anakin was asleep, Obi-Wan made Anakin comfortable on the couch, covered him with a blanket and went to go investigate. He didn't have to go far. The doorbell rang just as he reached the door and he opened it to see two concerned children looking up at him.

Rubbing his eyes, Obi-Wan blinked a few times as he tried to absorb what he was seeing. The boy looked strikingly similar to Anakin and the girl had a strong resemblance to Padme. Even their presence in the Force confirmed that these were indeed Anakin's long dead children.

"Uh, hi." Luke began, a little intimidated by Obi-Wan's presence. "I'm Luke Skywalker and this is my sister Leia. We're looking for our dad."

Obi-Wan blinked again in disbelief and then managed to recover his voice. "He's sleeping right now. Why don't you both come with me to the medbay."

"Why?" Leia asked.

Luke elbowed his sister and nodded at Obi-Wan. "We understand. Oira told us that you'll need proof of our identities."

"Who's Oira?" Obi-Wan asked as he began leading them to the medbay.

"She's the one who took care of us." Leia answered and in a low voice continued, "She's one with the Force now."

Obi-Wan pressed his lips tightly together and decided to question them some more later. First the Healers had to give their verdict on these two children.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Bant led Obi-Wan into her office and as soon as the door closed she handed Obi-Wan a datapad. "We can say with absolute certainty that they are Anakin's children." Bant began and walked around her desk to sit in her chair.

"Could they be clones?" Obi-Wan asked, looking up from the datapad.

"No, but that possibility was one of the first things we checked out. The children don't have the imprint in their DNA structure like clones do." Bant answered.

Obi-Wan slowly shook his head. "How can this be possible?" He sank down onto one of the chairs by the desk and looked again at the results from the tests that the Healers had done on the children.

"The ways of the Force is mysterious, even to those who have studied the Force for centuries." Bant replied. "How is Anakin taking this?"

"It is going to take time for him to accept this and considering how he reacted when Padme and the twins died, it won't be easy for him." Obi-Wan responded, raising his eyes to meet Bant's cool gaze. "How do I say to him that the Force has given his children back to him, but the Force did not bring his wife back to life?"

~*~*~

T_hey're dead_

_They're dead_

_They're dead…_

Anakin opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times until the blurriness disappeared from his vision. Sitting up, Anakin looked around to see that he was in Obi-Wan's quarters. The moment he remembered where he was, Anakin remembered what had occurred that had brought him to Obi-Wan quarters. He had seen his children…no…he had…must have seen an illusion. The twins were stillborn and Padme had died a few minutes after giving birth.

Standing up, Anakin went into the refresher to wash his face with cold water and then looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes had lost their sparkle long ago and he had gained a few early wrinkles in the past years. Anakin looked down at the sink and then looked back up at the mirror. He froze as he saw the face of someone behind him, someone who bore a striking resemblance to himself.

"I'm real, daddy. Leia is real too."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Anakin wished the illusion would go away. After a couple of minutes, Anakin opened his eyes to see the young boy's reflection still in the mirror. He tensed as the boy walked closer to him and slipped his small hand into Anakin's real hand. Anakin yanked his hand back and quickly left the refresher only to stop in his tracks as he saw the girl standing in the doorway.

"Daddy, it's us. Search your feelings." Leia called to Anakin as he spun around to head for another exit.

Seeing that the boy was blocking the exit, Anakin headed to the couch instead and sat down and buried his face in his hands.

Obi-Wan arrived a few seconds later, moving past Leia and making his way over to Anakin. "Anakin." Obi-Wan gently said as he sat down next to his brother.

Anakin wiped his face with his hand and looked up at Obi-Wan.

"I took the children to the Healers and they confirmed that they are your children. You're not imagining things, they really are alive." Obi-Wan gently smiled and handed Anakin a datapad.

Anakin took it and numbly read its contents. He read it twice, three times, and then a fourth time before looking back at Obi-Wan. "How is this possible?"

Obi-Wan shrugged his shoulders. "The Force works in mysterious ways."

Leia slowly approached Anakin and touched his hand. "Daddy…" She got no further when Anakin sprang to his feet and fled from the apartment. Leia's lower lip trembled and tears began to well up in her eyes.

Shaking his head at his former padawan's behavior, Obi-Wan pulled Leia onto his lap where Leia laid her head on his chest and began to cry.

Luke, who was still standing near the doorway, tightly clenched his fists as irritation boiled in him and hot angry tears began to form in his eyes. Spotting a window that had a window seat, he walked over to it and sat down on it. Luke curled himself into a ball and silently looked out of the window.

"Shh, everything's going to be fine Leia." Obi-Wan tried to soothe. "Your father just needs some time to adjust."

Leia hiccupped and wiped her eyes with her hand. "Really?"

"Really. Now, did you and your brother have breakfast yet?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No." Leia answered in a low voice.

"Well then, why don't we go make something." Obi-Wan suggested and Leia got up off his lap. "Luke," Obi-Wan called, "do you want to help make breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry." Luke mumbled, not looking at them.

Deciding not to press, Obi-Wan led Leia into the kitchen where they started to make some oatmeal.

The day seemed to drag along. Obi-Wan hadn't been able to get anymore information from the children and Leia and Luke was silent the rest of the day. He had taken them to a training room where they watched him instruct his new Padawan. He had also taken them to the tailors to get the twins some extra sets of clothing, took them to the archives to get some testing done to see what their education level was, and he took them to one of the gardens.

Leia was very talkative, but she mostly talked about the things she liked and the adventures Luke and her had had. Obi-Wan had arranged for a small cot to be moved into his Padawan's room for Leia. He had a feeling that Anakin wouldn't be back for awhile.

Soon it was bedtime and Leia went straight to bed, talking excitedly with Mara on the way. Luke, however, went back to the window seat and curled up in the corner.

"Luke, it's time for bed." Obi-Wan told him.

Luke ignored him for a couple of minutes before heading for the couch that Obi-Wan had made into a bed.

Obi-Wan walked over to Luke and tucked him in. "Everything's going to be alright."

Luke turned away from him and shut his eyes.

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan went into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea before retiring for the night. Ten minutes later, as he was sipping his tea at the table, Obi-Wan heard the apartment door open and sensed Anakin enter and approach the kitchen. "They feel rejected, Anakin."

Anakin stood a few feet behind Obi-Wan, his face a stony mask. "They shouldn't even be alive! I saw their lifeless bodies." The last part came out in a pained whisper.

Obi-Wan sighed, drank the last of his tea, and turned around to look at Anakin. "I can't explain why they are alive, Anakin, but what matters now is that they are alive and they need their father."

"Why couldn't it have been, Padme? Why couldn't she have been brought back to life instead?"

Obi-Wan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood up and walked up to Anakin, his face passive, but eyes stern. "Are you listening to yourself, Anakin? The Force has given you a gift, a chance to raise your children. Instead you're turning your back to them, just because the Force didn't bring your wife back!"

A muscle in Anakin's cheek twitched, but his face remained neutral. "Well the Force can take them back!"

Obi-Wan stepped back, stunned at the vehemence in Anakin's voice. Before he could form a coherent reply, Anakin had left the kitchen.

In the living area, Luke had heard his father's words and felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. He bit his lip to keep from crying and listened as his father left and Obi-Wan went into his room.

Luke shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself. Luke stretched out with the Force and sensed Obi-Wan go into a meditation trance and, unable to find his center, went to sleep instead.

Luke waited fifteen more minutes before quietly slipping out of the quarters. Once he was in the hallway, Luke set off at a run to a garden he had remembered seeing, but they didn't visit.

Entering the garden, Luke slowed to a walk and went off the path and onto the grass. The grass felt nice and soft against his bare feet as he walked. Luke reached a small secluded area of the garden and was surprised to sense his father's lingering Force signature there. His surprise turned to anger and he spun around and went to a different part of the garden.

Pain ripped through Luke's body and with a cry, he doubled over and fell to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut and thrashed about on the ground as the pain continued. Tears fell from his eyes from the unbearable pain. After a few intense minutes the pain subsided and he turned over on his stomach in time to puke.

Pushing himself onto his hands and feet, Luke breathed heavily as his heart beat rapidly. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, but it soon passed. Luke stood up and stumbled forward a few paces before falling to the ground again with a pained scream.

The plants that were around him began to dry and wilt until there was nothing but a large brown circle around Luke.

Luke woke up an hour later after passing out and walked out of the garden, not at all disturbed by the circle of dead plantlife that he left behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Luke."

Luke looked away from the window to see his sister walk up to him. "You're up early."

Leia smiled and sat down opposite her brother on the windowseat. "So are you."

"Go back to bed, you need the sleep." Luke told her and then he looked back out the window and watched the night traffic of Coruscant.

"What's wrong?" Leia asked, a concern look on her face.

"Nothings wrong." Luke responded.

Leia's eyes narrowed when she sensed a mental barrier slam down on her twin's side of their bond. "It didn't work, did it?" Her face softened and she moved to sit next to Luke. She placed her hand on top of Luke's hand and shivered when she realized how cold his hand was.

Luke flinched when he felt her cold hand touch his and turned his head to look at her. Unseen tears filled Luke's eyes as the temporary wall he had built around himself crumbled. "I'm just not strong enough. Father is right, we shouldn't be alive."

"You really don't mean that." Leia responded, a tremble in her voice.

Luke lowered his head for a few seconds and then raised it again. "It would be better if we were."

Leia gasped and held onto Luke's hand even harder while laying her head against Luke's shoulder. "Everything will be alright, Luke, father will come around."

Luke shook his head and looked out the window. "Will he? Even if he did it, I fear that he'll be to late."

"I'm going to die, am I?" Leia asked in a scared tone.

Looking back at his sister, Luke moved his hand from Leia's and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I won't let that happen, Leia. I promise, I will do everything I can to make sure you'll live."

"Anything?" Leia looked into her brother's eyes and in the dim morning light, she could see the sincerity in them. "Even if it means killing?"

The last part of what Leia said startled him and an uneasy feeling filled his stomach.

"You would." Leia continued. "Oira didn't let herself be taken by the Force to save us. No, you killed her."

Luke shook his head and shrank back as far as he could from Leia. "No, that is not how it happened."

Leia's lips twisted into a chilling smile. "Deny it all you want, but it is true. You killed her and you will continue to kill for me. You can't let me die, if you did then there would be no one to protect you."

Pressing his hands against his ears, Luke closed his eyes. "No! You're wrong!"

"There is only one way you can truly save me." Leia continued.

"No!" Luke cried out. The temperature in the room plunged and Luke found that he had difficulty breathing. Opening his eyes, his heartbeat quickened and he screamed at what he saw.

Something smacked him across the face, and with a yell, Luke woke up.

"That must have been some nightmare." Mara commented as she looked down at Luke who was lying on the couch with the sheets tangled all around him.

Obi-Wan came around the couch and sent soothing waves of the Force to Luke who instantly accepted them. "Mara, go make some tea."

Luke sat up to let Obi-Wan sit down and then sat down on Obi-Wan's lap and laid his head on Obi-Wan's chest.

Wrapping his arms around Luke, Obi-Wan continued sending soothing waves of the Force to Luke and spoke in low, soothing tones.

Leia entered the room a little while later, her hair still wet from the shower she had been taking. "Luke, are you alright?"

Still recovering from his nightmare, Luke just nodded his head.

"He'll be alright, Leia." Obi-Wan reassured her.

Leia studied her brother for a few minutes before nodding and going back into the bedroom to go dry her hair.

Mara came back a few minutes later with a cup of tea and placed it on the table that was next to the arm of the sofa.

"Thank you, Mara." Obi-Wan told her.

Luke stared at Mara until was out of view and then looked at the cup filled with tea. The aroma was spicy and fresh.

Obi-Wan picked the cup up and handed it to Luke. "Take a few sips. It'll help you feel better."

Luke carefully took the cup in his hand, blew on the greenish liquid, and then took a sip. It wasn't to spicy, but it tasted a little bit bitter. Luke handed the cup back to Obi-Wan and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you feeling better now? Obi-Wan asked as he placed the cup back onto the table.

"A little." Luke answered.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Obi-Wan asked.

Luke shook his head. "No. I'll be fine. It was just a nightmare. I've had nightmares before." Luke got off of Obi-Wan's lap and headed for the refresher.

Obi-Wan stroked his short beard in thought as he watched Luke walk away and then stood up to go make breakfast.

~*~*~

"Troubled you are." Yoda stated after he found Anakin in the far end of the room of a thousand fountains. "To you alive and well your children have returned."

Anakin sighed and opened his eyes to look at Master Yoda. "Yes."

"Hm. Happy you are not. Why?" Yoda asked, studying Anakin's face.

"Why the twins, Master? Why not Padme? Something just doesn't make sense. The twins had died because of fetal distress and Padme died of some unknown cause. The best the healers could come up with was that her life bled out of her. The Force doesn't make mistakes, Master. Why bring the twins back to life somewhere else?" Anakin questioned.

Yoda gave a small nod of his head. "Understandable your questions are. Answer them I can not. Mysterious are the ways of the Force. Still, turn your back on your children you should not."

Anakin flinched at reprimand and lowered his head. "I don't think they'll want anything to do with me now."

Yoda poked Anakin's leg with his stick and then gave it a whack, causing Anakin to look back up at him. "So sure are you? Know your children do you?"

Anakin shook his head, "Master—" He began to say but stopped when Yoda smacked his leg with the stick again.

"Your emotions bottled up inside not healthy to keep it is. Help heal your wounds your children can if accept them you do. Let not your wounds fester inside you." Satisfied that he had given Anakin something to chew on, Yoda left.

~*~*~

After washing up and getting dressed in some fresh clothes, Luke joined the others at the table. He sat down in an empty chair next to Mara and stared at the food on his plate. Narrowing his eyes, Luke took his fork and picked at the burnt parts of the scrambled eggs.

Mara noticed and took a sip of her juice before speaking. "It's a little bit burnt, but it still tastes okay. Normally my Master is good at cooking eggs, but he was distracted this morning."

"Mara!" Obi-Wan admonished.

"It's okay." Luke replied, giving his first smile for that morning. He then proceeded to eat the eggs without picking at the rest of the burnt parts."

"Would you guys like to go exploring this morning? I don't have any classes this morning, so I thought we could hang out." Mara suggested.

Leia finished the last of her toast before answering. "Maybe later. What I would really like to do is go into the Senate building. Can we?" Leia asked Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan blinked a few times, as he got a feeling of deja vu. Leia not only resembled her mother, but it seemed that Leia had also inherited her mother's love for politics. "I'll see what I can arrange."

"We can go after breakfast?" Leia asked, excitement in her eyes.

Obi-Wan took a sip of his tea to hide his smile and then looked back at Leia with an expressionless face. "No. As I said, I will have to make arrangements first. Also, Master Yoda is coming by sometime this morning, so it may be awhile."

"Oh." Leia responded, looking a little dejected and then she perked up again. "I want to see Master Yoda. Mara told me that he's one of the smallest Masters in the Temple."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "That's true, but it has its advantages, especially while teaching younglings."

Luke finished up the last of his eggs and then looked at Mara. "I would like to go exploring."

"Great!" Mara exclaimed and began to clear the table.

"Mara, remember that exploring does not include the restricted places!" Obi-Wan told her with a warning in his voice.

Mara smiled sweetly at her Master as she picked up an empty plate. "Don't worry Master, I won't."

"I mean it, padawan." Obi-Wan responded.

Luke helped Mara wash the dishes and then they both left.

Obi-Wan leaned back in his seat and ran his right hand through his thinning hair. "I don't know what possessed me to take on another padawan." He looked at Leia and smiled. "I'm sure your brother will make sure she stays out of trouble.

Leia gave him a strange look and then laughed. "Luke? Stay out of trouble?" She laughed again and left the room.

Obi-Wan frowned and groaned. "Oh just great. Mara doesn't need anymore encouragement." His frown deepened as Leia's laughter continued.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_Padme, I'm here! The healers are coming." Anakin gathered Padme into his arms where she had collapsed on the floor, and carried her to their bedroom. Her pain reverberated through the Force so strongly that Anakin had to make his mental shields stronger._

Padme clutched at her swollen stomach and moaned in pain as a contraction hit her again. Her throat was already sore from screaming in agony and her strength was rapidly fading. Her face was pale and sweat covered her face and hair.

Anakin wiped Padme's moist hair away from her face and held her hand with his real hand. "Hang on, Padme." Anakin said, trying his best to stay calm. He used the Force to lessen her pain and to give her strength, but all his efforts were in vain as her presence in the Force began to flicker and fade. "Padme!" Anakin called to her, an icy pit of dread growing in his stomach. So intent on Padme,  
Anakin failed to notice the healers arrival.

"Anakin." Healer Eirin said, lightly touching his shoulder. "We're going to have to perform an emergency c-section.

Numbly Anakin nodded his head and moved to the head of the bed so that the healers had some room to work. As the healers worked to save Padme's life and the life of the baby, Anakin continued to use the Force to give Padme strength and talked to her, encouraging her not to give up.

Minutes later Bant pulled their child free from Padme's womb and the umbilical cord was cut by one of the assistant healers. A quick check with the Force and glance with her eyes, Bant recognized that something was wrong. She attempted to revive the infant, but her efforts were futile. By that time the assistant healer had retrieved the boy's twin.

Bant looked at Twilkae who held the twin, her eyes sad. "Anything?"

Twilkae shook her head. "Nothing."

"Yena, what's the status of Senator Amidala's health?"

The third healer checked Padme's readings again and then shook his head. "She's not stabilizing and I can't figure out what's wrong. She's fading fast." He shook his head. "I don't understand it."

Anakin finally looked up from his wife, his eyes full with tears. "Is our child alright?"

Bant looked down at the still child in her arms who she had wrapped up in a white blanket. She looked back up at Anakin and handed the child to him. "I'm sorry, Anakin, he didn't make it. His sister didn't make it either."

Anakin's breath caught in his throat, the revelations hitting him full force. They had twins. The twins were dead. He reached for his son and Bant handed him the swaddled bundle. Anakin carefully accepted the bundle and held his son close to his chest. He searched within the Force for any sign of a flicker of life but there was none. His son's face looked peaceful, as if simply a refreshing asleep, but it was the sleep of death.

Anakin kissed his son's forehead, a tear dropping from his eyes and landing on his son's nose. Anakin looked over at Padme just as she gave a gasp and stopped breathing. In a state of shock, Anakin watched helplessly as the healers attempted to revive Padme, with no success. They were dead. Padme and the twins were dead.

Anakin woke up to the sound of children playing near the fountains and wiped his face with the palms of his hands. He was sitting in a secluded area of the room, in an empty space that was surrounded by large flowering bushes. He peaked out of the small opening that had enabled him to squeeze his large frame into the space and saw Mara and his son near one of the fountains.

"Will doing that hurt the fish?" Luke asked.

"Nope, they'll be fine, it's safer than foam or soap. Now keep your voice down or we'll get caught."

Shaking his head, Anakin cloaked his presence even more, settled back into the small space and focused on meditating.

Luke and Mara watched as the water coming out of the fountains turned into different colors as the dye got churned up in the water. There were now fountains with red water, green water, orange water, purple water, yellow water, and even black water.

"Cool. It's very colorful." Luke said and looked at Mara.

"Yeah, I agree. It's a pretty prank, I don't see why the masters get upset over it."

"I don't know either." Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I like this room, it's soothing, but I think they should have more plant-life in here." Luke plucked a blue, seven petal, flower from the bush they were standing next to and touched its soft petals. "At home, where Leia and I used to live, we had a garden next to our bedroom and we could go out into it from our bedroom. We had a lot of different plants, including berry bushes. The berries were sweet and juicy once they were ripe for picking. Leia and I would go out in the garden at night and pick some for a late night snack."

"It must feel strange for you to be in a city then. There are more buildings, speeders, and people then there are plants." Mara said. "I've only been offworld once, but that was to a water planet where there was mostly water. There were gardens in the cities, but most of the plant-life was underwater and we didn't have time to take a dive into the water to see them."

Luke took Mara's braid and carefully put the stem into the braid and pulled on it so that the flower would stay in the braid. "The flower looks nice in your hair. It makes you look prettier."

A faint blush crept up Mara's cheeks. "Yeah, well, I think we should head back. I need to practice a few katas in training room one and then meditate before lunch."

"Okay." Luke stood up and helped Mara up. You go on ahead, I'll catch up. I want to take a peek in the archives."

"All right. I'll see you in training room one then. Do you remember where the training rooms are?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Mara nodded and then left the room.

As Luke watched her go, a wave of weakness that had threatened to overtake him while talking with Mara sent him to the ground and he lay still, his vision spinning. He felt the urge to soak up the life energy of his surroundings, but he resisted as he remembered that there were Jedi meditating in the room. Pushing himself off the ground, Luke wiped the dirt off his pants and slowly walked out of the room of many fountains, gritting his teeth as he went. He was going to have to make a little detour.

Leia stared out of the window of Mara's room and watched the speeders zip by, as she waited for Obi-Wan and Yoda's meeting to end. In the far distance was the senate building. Closing her eyes, she imagined what the interior of the senate looked like and even stretched her Force sense in that direction. A minute later her connection was broken by a coughing fit. She wrapped her hands around her throat and bent over as she gagged. She crumpled to the floor and pressed her forehead on the thin, rough, light brown carpet. "Stop." She croaked out, tears streaming down her face.

"Tell your brother to stop resisting."

The pressure around her throat was released, and she greedily gulped in air. "He…won't…stop." Leia got up from the floor and took a kneeling position. "He's fought…for so…long. He won't give up easily."

"His resistance is foolish. Already he is tasting the darkness."

Leia's eyes narrowed, "and whose fault is that? My brother is not stupid."

"Clever but foolish then. What makes both of you think that your father can help you?"

"You know perfectly well. You see in our minds and Luke sees into yours, at least what is left of it." An icy chill rushed past Leia, sending goosebumps up and down her skin. "I don't fear you. You can't harm me." Leia's eyes burned with determination, her mind set in steely resolve. "You are nothing. You lost a long time ago and just won't admit it."

"Insolent child. I have not lost. I have only begun."

Hot tears rolled down Leia's cheeks as she curled up into a fetal position and waited for the dark presence to leave. She tried to be strong, both for herself and her brother but the darkness was overwhelming and frightening as it sent gruesome images to them of what would happen if they continued to resist.

The darkness finally left after several minutes and Leia found the strength to stand up a half an hour later. She freshened herself up in the refresher before heading out into the living area where Obi-Wan was talking to a small green being, totally oblivious to what had happened earlier. "Are you Master Yoda?"

"Yoda I am." He said from the chair he was seated on.

"Why are you so short?" Leia said. "Is it hard for people to take you seriously when you're short?"

Obi-Wan hid his mouth behind his hand to stifle a chuckle and pretended to cough.

Yoda looked at Leia with amusement and then looked at Obi-Wan. "Direct she is." He looked back at Leia. "The inner doesn't always match the outer. What counts more is what is in a person. Character, knowledge, values, beliefs, desires, inner strength, wisdom, and much more will outweigh appearance."

As Yoda finished speaking, the door of the quarters slipped open and Anakin stepped inside and walked into the living area.

Leia saw her father and without hesitation ran toward him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. His comforting presence soothed her fears and brushed away the coldness that still lingered within.

Anakin tentatively returned the hug and looked down at his child. "I'm sorry about how I reacted."

"It's okay, I forgive you. We shouldn't have startled you like that." Leia mumbled, holding onto Anakin even tighter. Feeling more secure, Leia looked up at Anakin. "Can we go see the Senate building where mommy worked?"

"Not right now, one can't simply walk into the Senate building and explore." Anakin said, looking into her pleading brown eyes. _There are to many memories in that place._

Leia stuck out her lower lip. "I wanna go now, daddy."

Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan hoping for a little help, but Obi-Wan simply smiled in amusement.

"New quarters you should arrange." Yoda stated.

Anakin nodded his head and looked down at Leia. "Yoda's correct. We need to get bigger quarters and we should probably go clothes shopping."

"Can I choose my own room?" Leia said eagerly, momentarily forgetting about the Senate building.

"Yes, you'll get the first choice."

Leia smiled and pulled at Anakin's real hand. "Okay, and then we get some food, and then clothes and then we can go to the Senate building."

"And we need to get you and your brother into classes." Anakin added to Leia's list. "The senate building can wait until tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Anakin said and they left the apartment.

Obi-Wan watched them leave while stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Master Yoda, are you sure that the dead spot in the garden and the twins are not related?"

Yoda's ears twitched and he turned his gaze to Obi-Wan. "Sense something you do?"

"I'm not sure Master. At first I was glad that somehow the twins are alive and well and they can help Anakin truly heal, but now…I don't know. Maybe I simply don't want Anakin to get hurt again."

"Mm. Possible that is. Future of the twins, cloudy it is. Revealed answers the  
Force has not. Jump to conclusions we must not."

"I understand." Obi-Wan paused for a moment before continuing, "What should we say to the other Jedi when they hear that the twins are alive? The twins coming back from the dead will surely cause some to be wary of them."

Yoda nodded his head. "That is true unfortunately yes. Bring this question to the next council session you should. Discuss the twins we must before we bring them before the council."


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this has taken so long guys. I finally got out of the rut i had with this story. Enjoy :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The energy that shimmered in the corridors was becoming intoxicating as Luke felt his reservoir of strength drain from him. There were plenty of Jedi he could feed off of in the corridors, but doing so would attract attention to himself. Sweat beaded on his brow and the floor felt like it was trying to move out from under him; Luke clenched his hands into fists and moved onwards. He walked into a meditation room where he sensed one lone presence and locked the door behind him. Luke sat down on a meditation cushion across from the Jedi and watched the dark haired knight meditate.

The knight sensed Luke's presence and opened his eyes to see a pale face staring back at him. "Is there something I can do for you, initiate?"

"My name's Luke. I believe you can."

A smile twitched at the corners of the knight's lips. "There are other Jedi more qualified than me to ask, so why pick me?" The knight felt the Force warning him of danger, but he merely brushed it aside.

Luke smiled. "It's your lucky day. I like randomly picking people to help me."

The knight chuckled, "I suppose it is. I was only knighted yesterday. My name is Kran Wey."

The smile wavered on Luke's face, "What does being knighted have to do with helping?"

Kran shrugged his shoulders, "nothing really." He studied Luke's pale face and noted the sweat dripping down his face, and the slight tremors racing through Luke's body. He watched as Luke's right hand opened and then Kran felt as if his head had been plunged into ice cold water. He fell to the ground and gasped as his life energy was taken from him.

Luke inhaled deeply as he felt the energy refresh and give him strength. Life. Luke closed his eyes, not wanting to see the torment the young knight was going through. He reached deeper and quicker into the lifeforce of the knight, but as he did so something repelled him out, breaking the temporary link with the knight and sending Luke sliding across the floor to the wall. The air was knocked from his lungs as his back hit the wall. Luke let out a gasp and for a while all he heard was his blood pounding in his ears.

"I didn't know wraiths can take human form." Kran said after he used the Force to recover from the attack.

_How did he break free? He shouldn't have been able to._ Luke frowned at the knight. "They can't. I'm human."

Kran raised an eyebrow, "Really now? I've encountered wraiths before and I know how it feels to be fed upon. It's a wraith power and a power that only comes from the darkside. Tell me, if you're human than why do you need to use this wraith power to survive?"

"What makes you think I do?" Luke said as he tried to figure a way out of this situation.

"Let's just say I have developed a nose for it. Wraiths give off an unique odor when they're dying." Kran responded. He stood up and walked over to Luke and sat down across from him. "And they leave an unique smell after they feed from something."

Luke's eyebrows drew together toward the middle of his forehead. "Not many know this and those that do end up dead."

"Well I'm very much alive, young one. So you might as well answer my question."

"The answer won't help you when you're dead," Luke said as he raised his hand to take the life energy from Kran.

...

Anakin and Leia finished making arrangements for their new quarters and were headed for the clothing supply store when Anakin stopped walking when he sensed a familiar presence that he hadn't seen for a few weeks.

"Master Skywalker." An orange skinned Togruta appeared among the crowd of Jedi and made her way to Anakin and Leia.

"Snips, I see you made it back in one piece." Anakin responded, his lips twitching into a smile.

"Of course, Master." Ahsoka said. "A mission well done by a new knight means a happy council."

Anakin snorted. "The council needs stirring up once in a while."

"You do enough of that for both of us, Master." Ahsoka looked at Leia who was staring up at her. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Knight Ahsoka Tano, Master Skywalker's former padawan."

"Ahsoka," Anakin said before Leia could speak. "I would like you to meet Leia, my daughter."

Ahsoka's eyes widened and she looked back at Anakin. "But didn't you say that…"

"Yes, but we'll talk about it later. Right now we need to do some clothes shopping. Why don't you join us for lastmeal at Obi-Wan's quarters?"

"Sure." She looked at Leia. "I'm glad to meet you, Leia."

Ahsoka left as soon as she came and Anakin and Leia were on their way again.

"Daddy, can I be a Padawan too?"

Anakin smiled down at Leia. "I don't see why not. Both you and your brother are strong in the Force."

Leia mulled over it in her head for a little while as they continued walking. "Daddy…" She stopped talking and the color suddenly drained from her face. Anakin barely caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Leia? What's wrong?" Panic filled Anakin as he stood up with her limp body in her arms and ran to the healer's wing.


End file.
